Twin African fiascos wound Hollande

Two raids in Mali and Somalia have gone wrong, leaving a French hostage among the dead

FRENCH attacks on Islamist groups in two African countries culminated in a
military debacle yesterday after an attempt to rescue a hostage in Somalia
ended with his murder and the death of at least one soldier, while a pilot
was shot down on a mission in Mali.

The hostage, a French intelligence agent who had been held by Somali Islamists
since 2009, was killed during an assault by French special forces. One of
the would-be rescuers also died and another was missing.

The pilot was killed as several hundred French troops were deployed in Bamako,
Mali’s capital, on an operation to prevent Islamist rebels from taking over
the country.

Britain last night agreed to provide two military transport planes to help the
French operation in Mali after a telephone conversation between David
Cameron and President François Hollande. No personnel will have a combat
role.